son of a tailor at Llanddewi-Velfrey (Pembs.), and himself a tailor, according to the unkindly taunt of Jeremy Owen. He became a member of Henllan Amgoed congregation, then went to William Evans (died 1718), at Carmarthen, to prepare himself for the ministry; he would seem to have been there at the time of the first schisms (1707-9) at Henllan. In the second schism (1711) at Henllan, Maurice joined Henry Palmer and others in their migration to Rhyd-y-ceisiaid. Early in 1713 he became minister at Olney (Bucks.), but in November 1714 was called to Rothwell (Northants) to succeed Richard Davis — a natural choice, when we remember the High Calvinism and the championship of absolute congregational self-government which he had already shown at Henllan. In 1726 he wrote a short pamphlet, Byr a chywir Hanes Eglwys Rhydyceished yn eu Nheulltuad o Henllan, trwy y Blynyddoedd 1707, 1708, 1709, which he printed in 1727 as an appendix to his book Y Wir Eglwys (it was reprinted by D. M. Lewis in the 1925 number of Y Cofiadur, 41-9); Jeremy Owen's pamphlet, Golwg ar y Beiau, etc., 1732, was a reply to it. Maurice's works are listed in Llyfryddiaeth y Cymry, under 1711, 1720, 1727, 1733, 1734, 1759. The most popular of his original writings was Social Religion Exemplify'd, 1759, which had gone through seven editions by 1860. An abridgement of it, by Dr. Edward Williams (1750 - 1813), was translated into Welsh in 1797 by Benjamin Evans of Dre-wen, and the whole work by Evan Evans (1804 - 1886) of Nant-y-glo in 1862; both went into more than one edition. Maurice d. at Rothwell in 1738 (date unknown).

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MAURICE, MATHIAS.

He died 1 Sept. 1738; his widow Elizabeth died 8 Oct. 1771, 73 years old. (Minutes of the congregation in Rothwell; see N. Glass, The Early History of the Independent Church at Rothwell (Northampton, 1871). N.L.W. and Bala-Bangor College library.

He published a number of English books, including Monuments of Mercy (1729), A modern question affirmed and approved (1739).